From the very beginning, LMU
has extablished a history of champions. In the 1930s it was three straight ice
hockey championships. In the 1940s the legendary Pete Newell played for the
Lions and the rivalry with Pepperdine (1941) began. The 1950s saw Bob Boyd win
the NCAA title in the 100-yard dash. The 1960s saw the Lions win their first
basketball championship, and one of their first Olympians, rower Hugh Miller
Foley (1964). In the 1970s, Loyola and Marymount colleges merged and saw women's
sports begin their dominate history, incluing a pair of tennis championships
(1977, 78). LMU then exploded in the 1980s with more individual national
champions (Therese Kozlowki in cross country) and more Olympians (Paul
Sunderland men's volleyball gold medal in 1984). The decade also included LMU's
trip to the College World Series (1986) and two women's rowing Varsity Four
National Titles (1981, 86). The 1990s started with one of the most memorable
moments in sports history with the men's basketball run to the NCAA Elite Eight
in the 1989-90 season. Women's volleyball became the first program to win three
straight WCC titles (1994, 95, 96), thanks in part to Olympian and All-American
Sarah Noriega. Baseball would end the 1990s with three straight titles, the
final coming in 2000. Then came the past decade, as the Lions won more titles
(22) than the previous 70 years combined. Leading the way were the men and
women's water polo programs, winning a combined 15 titles, including five
straight (2001-05) and eight in 10 years by women's water polo.
Take a detailed look at LMU Lions History: